Online Safety or Online Snafu? The U.K.’s Internet Lockdown

It’s only been a couple of weeks since the U.K. rolled out its Online Safety Act, and it’s already causing quite the ruckus online. Initially designed to protect kids, it seems the law is throwing the internet access of adults right under the bus—who knew the kids would get all the attention while adults took the brunt of the restrictions? From news on the wars in Ukraine and Gaza to classic art pieces, users are finding themselves getting blocked from content without so much as a “please” or “thank you.” Talk about an “oops” moment for lawmakers.

VPNs are seeing a major surge in subscriptions, with Proton VPN reporting an astonishing 1,800% increase in U.K. users. Imagine kids now getting internet savvy just to skirt around their own government’s rules—it’s like giving them the keys to unlock the funhouse after trying to lock them in a cubicle! Critics argue that rather than safeguarding children, the act has become a method of censorship that even leaves users feeling like they need to verify their identities just to read a casual Reddit thread about self-care.

If you think this is just an inconvenience, think again. New age-verification requirements apply even to platforms with a significant number of U.K. users, from Reddit to Spotify, with tragic results for content everybody thought was harmless. Picture being denied access to a music video just because the platform thinks your ‘estimated’ age doesn’t check out. As this new internet landscape evolves, it’s clear that “safety” measures can quickly spiral into digital draconian measures. What do you think—will the U.K. find the balance between safety and access, or is this just the start of a slippery slope?

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